Bulletproof
by biotictrash
Summary: When the Alliance locks up Commander Brie Shepard for the Alpha Relay incident, they assume that their security is enough to keep Cerberus and the Batarians off of her. Commander Alenko, however, is not so certain she's safe. When Cerberus finds their way to her and takes her captive, Kaidan sends himself after her to bring her home. Though the last person Shepard expects to risk h
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Well, here it is, after months of sitting on it and being so eager to share it, my MEBB fic is here, and I can't wait to hear what you guys think! It's my first substantial piece with a new Shepard, too. Special thanks to BlueNinja and jedireyslightsaber for beta-ing for me, and to arteinthemachine for the wonderful artwork!**

* * *

"Look away," James said, raising a hand to the pin pad on the door.

Kaidan stiffened and turned his head. James entered the numbers to unlock the door, and Kaidan heard the deadbolts and mag locks pop open. At one point, he'd had complete access to Shepard's cabin. He was welcome there whenever he pleased, and he spent more nights there than in his own bunk. Those were the nights when he woke up to fresh air, a spacious cabin that wasn't his, and the love of his life within arm's reach.

Now, he couldn't even know the passcode to open her door. He swallowed and shut his eyes. He had to find some way to fix this. Somehow.

The door opened and James stepped inside, signaling for him to wait a moment.

"You have a visitor," James said.

He waited, and his heart clenched. He hadn't heard her voice in months, and the last time he had, it was not the happiest moment. He'd had nightmares for days, of watching them arrest her as she resisted and fought to keep her freedom. He knew from the moment Hackett had given him access and control over the Aratoht mission that it was going to be messy. He just didn't think it would get that messy. Even he wasn't expecting them to have guards waiting for her the second she entered Alliance HQ. There hadn't even been a chance to really turn herself over and give a statement.

The look in her eyes as she spotted him, the pure anger and hatred that he and Hackett had given her the mission, and they were both getting off clean… he couldn't blame her.

"Who?"

Brie.

Her voice hardly sounded like her. He wondered how she was handling captivity, being stuck in this - admittedly lavish - prison was against everything she stood for. She was a fighter. Her control was gone. He thought of all the days following BAaT where he worried he'd end up in jail for the rest of his life. He knew Shepard would get out eventually, when the Reapers walked through their front door and the galaxy needed a hero, but for now, she was here.

Kaidan stepped into the cell, and she crossed her arms, looking away. God, had he missed her. She was beautiful as ever, and as much as he hated to admit it, Cerberus had done a bang up job at rebuilding her. She looked exactly the same. Her amber skin was coated in the same abundant freckles he used to kiss to distract her from her work, and her ever vibrant copper eyes were hard to miss. For a moment, he couldn't hate Cerberus. He was thankful they'd given her back. Even if he'd never have her again, he felt better knowing she was in the world.

She'd grown out her hair. Not super long, but longer than the effortless bob it had been in when they were together. It made silky curls around her shoulders. He didn't even know her hair was curly.

"James," she said, looking at the buff marine to Kaidan's side, "stay just outside the door."

James nodded. "Of course, Commander."

She winced at her own title.

God, what have they done to you? Kaidan wondered. She'd always worn her title as a badge of honor. Now, she seemed ashamed or afraid. Could it be another instance of her feeling as though she failed? Not worthy of the honor anymore?

James stepped outside and left the two of them. The urge to break down and beg her to forgive him was so strong, but he had to keep himself together. He needed her to take him as seriously as she possibly could.

"Okay," she said, "talk."

"I needed to see you."

She looked up. "About? It seems like you were pretty cut and dry back on Horizon. I'm a traitor, remember?"

He swallowed. "Did you get my email?"

She nodded. "I did. I appreciate that at least you felt bad. It just… it didn't help much."

"That's fair," he said, "I know that I did some serious damage on Horizon. I know how badly I hurt you. Trust me, I do."

Brie turned around and looked out the window. He didn't know if she'd ever been to Vancouver before, but he wanted to take her. In fact, he'd been planning it. He had tickets. The two of them would go to Vancouver once their tour ended, and he planned to propose to her here. He wanted her to see it, just not this way.

"No, you don't. You don't know what it was like, waking up in a lab and having no idea what the hell happened to you, finding out that everyone you loved had moved on without you. You don't know what it was like to be so trapped working with Cerberus. I couldn't do anything without them breathing down my neck. I had no control over any of it."

"But you left," he added.

She turned back around, irritated. "I got the mission done. And it's not like anyone granted me freedom after that. I'm still trapped."

"Shepard, I mourned you for two years. God dammit, there are still mornings where I wake up and roll over to kiss you good morning. What I said on Horizon was a mistake, but I spent two years wondering when it would end. When I'd stop wanting you when you'd never be there again."

"It's clear that you don't want me anymore. I'm glad you finally got over that."

"Brie," he said.

"Don't."

He looked away. "I didn't come here to fight with you. It's more important."

"Do tell then."

Kaidan stepped closer to her and reached into his jacket. Her body tensed up at his movement.

"You're in danger."

She laughed, and it was not the same laugh he'd heard so many times before, while they cuddled in bed together, or when they went out for secret date nights, hiding from press and anyone who might raise the question of them being together. It was scared. He wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know. She was in danger, and for all she was doing, there were still so many that wanted her dead.

"I know that, Kaidan. That's why I'm here. That, and being a war criminal, of course."

He pulled out the bracelet in his jacket and held it out to her. She looked up at him, confused.

"Okay, so you bring me jewelry as an apology. It's not really going to-," she argued.

"No," he cut her off, "look, we don't know what's going on yet, but I have enough reason to believe someone's zeroing in on your location, and I don't want to take any chances. This jewelry has a tracking device. If anything happens, we'll know, and we can keep you safe."

Shepard didn't look pleased. "You?"

"Shepard, your survival is important to everyone in the galaxy. Please. We all want you safe."

He'd known for a few days now that there were many threats on Shepard's life. Of course there were the Batarians, who wanted her dead, and politicians who wanted her stripped of rank and banned from the military for good, or locked up to rot. But he was most concerned with the reports of Cerberus snipers around Alliance HQ. That was a terrible prospect.

"Okay."

"I promise you, I'm not trying to use this to stalk you or to keep tabs on you. It's going back to a database and for your benefit, Brie. I promise."

She held out her wrist, and let him slide the bracelet on. She flinched slightly at his touch, and even he was taken by how good it felt to have skin to skin contact again. He stepped back and turned.

"Take care, Shepard."

Stupid. She doesn't believe you really care.

He heard her suck in a deep breath and the faint jingle of the bracelet. He was almost positive she'd taken it off the moment he had his back turned. He shut his eyes, lingering at the door for another moment. He couldn't say it, because she'd never believe him. But he meant it nonetheless.

I can't lose you again.


	2. Chapter 2

Brie was hardly asleep. Maybe she had been for a little while, but it was fitful and full of nightmares. Her meeting with Kaidan haunted her, even hours later. Just like the last few times she saw him, she wished it had gone differently. The further she was removed from Horizon, the more she knew that Kaidan hadn't been the only one in the wrong. He'd been harsh, berated her like she was a child, as if she didn't know Cerberus was bad news. But the shock of seeing him, of knowing how close he'd come to dying, of knowing that she could have been back for good, and he'd be gone… it threw everything into overdrive.

When he took her in his arms, she didn't want to let go. She wanted to keep him close, but she knew she never could, not with Cerberus looming over her shoulder. She didn't want to ever tell him about the night after the mission, where she'd moved the picture Miranda placed on her desk over to her nightstand, and held onto her pillow and pretended it was him. Maybe if she'd been more tactful, less angry, more selfish, she could have made things work between them then.

And seeing him earlier hit harder than ever that she still loved him, completely. She couldn't look out the window without thinking that she was in Vancouver. They were going to come here, together. She was going to meet his parents, he was going to show her where he grew up and the places that made him the person she was in love with.

She turned over in bed, and reached for the bracelet that was resting on her night stand. She didn't want to wear it, not yet. Bracelets were something you gave girlfriends, things that said "happy anniversary" or "I love you," not "someone's trying to kill you, and I tolerate you enough to not let you die." She could see the small blinking chip on the back of it, so subtle that most would miss it. She imagined Kaidan hearing that someone had been zeroing in on her location, and immediately trying to figure something out, something discrete. He was smart enough to do that.

She sat up in bed, and noticed something off about the room. Her bed was comfortable, and her meals were always full, though sometimes eating was difficult. She had her own shower and private bathroom, and living area. And whatever she wanted, within reason, someone could bring for her. She didn't _have_ to carry the weight of the entire galaxy on her shoulders. She didn't have to deal with politicians - not directly at least - and she didn't have to do _anything_. It was her own little paradise here. The only thing that kept her from enjoying her stay, was the mag locked door that emitted a low hum at all times, unless it open. But it was hardly ever open. Not long enough for her to know what it sounded like when it was.

But there was no humming tonight.

It was possible, but incredibly, incredibly unlikely that James had forgotten to lock the door back up when he let Kaidan out. It was possible, but also unlikely, that the guard outside had hit a button at some point as well, unlocking the door.

She hated that the most likely option right now, was that someone was in the room with her. Someone who shouldn't have been.

Biotics flared at her skin, a slight barrier, just in case. If she flipped on a light, she'd start a fight. Whoever was here would be exposed, and she would have to take them. If there was more than two enemies here, she was going to have to get crafty, especially with no amp.

Shepard waited a moment before stepping off the bed and sneaking her way to the bathroom. She knew if she got to the mirror, in the instance that someone _was_ here, she could fashion a weapon out of broken glass, or use something as a weapon. Even if that meant simply bashing an enemy's head against the steel sink until they hardly had a head anymore.

She stepped inside, and left the door open. The suffocating feeling of knowing she was being watched took over. Brie looked up at the mirror in front of her, and caught sight of something she hoped not to see. There, in vibrant yellow and white, the Cerberus sigil. On a body behind the door.

She sucked in a single deep breath before unloading a powerful biotic punch into the mirror. Her barrier protected her hands enough from the impact, and she reached for the largest fragment that had fallen into the sink. The Cerberus trooper shoved the door closed and went to grab her. She lunged forward, plunging the shard into the trooper's throat. He gagged and flailed, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her against the wall. She spun, ignoring the glass digging into the bottom of her feet, and pulled his head down to her knee.

He let out a panicked cry, and she threw open the door. There were another trooper waiting for her, and she channeled whatever strength she had to throw him across the room. He collided with the couch, and vanished for a moment behind furniture. Brie bolted to her nightstand and reached for the bracelet. She quickly slid it around her wrist while no Cerberus officers were watching. One appeared behind her and chuckled.

"Whatcha got there, sweetheart?"

Brie thought for a moment, and quickly grabbed the lamp in front of her. She swung it at his head, and let him collapse to the ground.

"Something to beat your goddamn brains out with," she said.

She bent down beside him and snapped his neck, and ran for the door, which was now locked, naturally. She could make out the outline of a dead guard in front of her door, and panicked, thinking it could be James. She didn't have time to freak out very much, before a loud bang ripped through the room.

She turned around to face the trooper she'd hurled across the room, now holding a gun. Not a real gun, probably something loaded with tranquilizers or sleep bullets, which may have been worse. If she got shot for real, there was a chance she'd die before they could really do anything to her. If they knocked her out, they could do whatever they wanted.

She threw up a barrier and charged at the trooper. She could feel her implant burning from the raw overuse of power, and her nose would probably start bleeding. The trooper groaned and fell backward.

The trooper fired off several more shots at her from his place on the ground, and none broke skin. Brie threw a harsh field at him, in an attempt to knock the gun from his hands and make it a fair fight, but it didn't work. She pressed a foot to his chest, and he quickly pulled her to the ground and pinned her back to the floor.

He threw a hard punch at her, only catching the base of her jaw, but still enough to make her cringe. She brought a knee up to his groin and knocked him off of her. She straddled the trooper, and threw punch after punch at his face. His hands grabbed at her arms, and a finger knotted around the bracelet on her wrist. In a panic, knowing it was her only lifeline, she drew away, and examined it to make sure it was still intact.

She hardly felt the tranquilizer bullet enter her skin. Slowly, the tingly, numb feeling spread all over. She couldn't fight it, and couldn't fight back. Not even when the remaining trooper slung her over his shoulder, shattered the window, and placed her on the floor of a Cerberus shuttle.

She looked at her small blinking bracelet before she shut her eyes.

 _Please, please work._


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't unusual at all for Kaidan to fall asleep with his omni-tool wide open. It normally woke him up in the middle of the night anyway, beeping and blinking with messages and mission reports. But tonight was sort of a hot mess.

He'd come back to his parent's house, had a few drinks with his dad when he noticed how off he was, and read through some reports before totally passing out. He was still partially in uniform too. An hour more of sleep, and his mom would come in to check on him and at least pull a blanket over him.

His omni-tool beeped furiously on his arm, and he groaned. If it was another report he had to fill out on his spec-ops students, he'd need a few beers. However, he didn't even have to go to his messages to see the problem.

Subject 4112154: Location Change

Kaidan shot up in bed and opened the map the notification linked to. He could only make out at the moment that Shepard was no longer in Vancouver. It meant that either the Alliance hadn't alerted him of any change in location, or someone had her. It also meant that she'd at least taken the bracelet. He just hoped that whoever _did_ have her, didn't notice it and left it alone. He imagined Shepard in danger, afraid, without much to protect her. They'd removed her amp when she was arrested, so she couldn't muster very much power. He knew she was far from helpless, but she was still human. If they had enough troopers on her, she didn't stand a chance without a weapon or her biotics.

He pulled on his jacket as quickly as he could, and rushed down the stairs. He heard his mother hovering at the top of the steps as he went to leave.

"Kaidan, sweetie, where are you going?"

"Something came up at HQ," he replied.

She moved down the stairs and rubbed her eyes. He knew she'd probably been awake since his omni-tool went off, trying to figure out if someone would take him away next. She'd loved his time in Vancouver, and kept hinting he should retire from active duty and take some time to do more administrative and strategic work. While it sounded nice, he figured that was something he'd save for when he and Brie chose to settle down. But now, that was a big if.

His mother cupped his face and gave him a sleepy sigh. She'd married a military man, and watched her son grow into someone so similar, so she knew the drill. Sometimes, you simply had to go.

"Kaidan, please… whatever is going on out there. Be careful. I want you to come home."

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "I will. I promise. I always come home."

She let him go, and he quickly hailed a skycar to HQ. He knew that Anderson would have been alerted the same time he was, and most likely Admiral Hackett. The three of them knew what it meant if Shepard was in danger, and they knew the importance of bringing her back. But he knew that if either of them would understand what it meant to bring her back, at least to Kaidan, it was Anderson.

The skycar pulled up at Alliance HQ, and Anderson messaged him to meet at Shepard's cell.

 _Empty cell_ , he couldn't help but think.

He rode the elevator to her floor and stepped out. Analysts and investigators swarmed the scene, and it was closed off to all but necessary officers. Kaidan found Anderson standing outside the door, face stricken with grief.

"Anderson," he said.

"Commander," he answered, "glad you're here."

"Of course. What happened?"

Anderson led him inside the room, where he spotted signs of a struggle. Several, actually, probably all Shepard's doing. The furniture in the sitting area was a disaster, and there was a dead soldier beside her bed, neck snapped. There was a third dead trooper near the bathroom, shard of glass still jutting out from his neck.

Kaidan swallowed.

"Cerberus. Took out the guard in front, unlocked the door, and took her. Looks like she didn't go without a fight though."

"Of course not," Kaidan said.

Anderson looked up at him. "Son, I know you're nervous, but we're going to figure something out."

"Then why the hell are we here? Shouldn't we be tracking their movements and figuring out how to get her? Looking at the scene is an absolute waste. They wouldn't have left anything that would help behind."

Anderson nodded. "We already scanned all their omni-tools, and nothing. Cerberus has some smart bastards."

"Anderson, we _need_ to be coming up with a plan. Every minute we waste-," he persisted.

"Admiral Hackett is on his way and wants to meet in defense committee's office. Hold tight, hold tight."

Kaidan took in a deep breath, and tried to avoid looking at the mess that had been left behind. There was so much blood, and he just hoped none of it was Brie's. One way or another, he was going to bring her back, or die trying.

When Hackett arrived, they met him downstairs. The three of them locked and closed the door, and sat down around the terminals at the center of the room.

"She had her bracelet on," Kaidan began. Otherwise we wouldn't even know she was gone.

Hackett nodded. "I assume it means your meeting with her went according to plan, Commander."

Kaidan didn't answer the statement directly. "Can we get a read on where she currently is?"

"It shows her still moving. We keep losing her every time they jump a mass relay."

"Well, they gotta stop sometime," Anderson said.

Hackett nodded. "True. We're not seeing a ton of movement now, and it's pegging them somewhere in the Terminus Systems. Near the Rosetta Nebula."

"Okay, so we send someone out there," Kaidan said.

"Alenko, until we know exactly where she is, we're wasting resources, and lives."

Kaidan felt his blood boil and his fists clenched. "We're not wasting anything. We need someone pursuing whatever ship she's on _now._ If it really is Cerberus that has her, they're not taking her to let her work for them again. She crossed them and stole their ship, so they're going to hurt her. Probably torture and kill her."

Anderson stiffened across the room.

"Commander, _I know_ damn well what they're going to do, and we won't let that happen, but we can't just send someone on a wild goose chase across the galaxy."

Kaidan swallowed. "Then send me."

"What?"

"Send me," he repeated. "You're not forcing anyone to do anything. I volunteer. I'll go after her. I have biotic spec ops training, and I helped develop this tracking program in the first place. I will bring her home."

"Kaidan," Anderson said.

"I'm serious."

"We understand how serious this is," Hackett said, "but until we know…"

"But this is Shepard, god dammit. If we don't rescue her, we're all dead. We need her, and if we don't act, we may never stand a chance. She's… she's important."

He wanted to say that she was like family. Whenever he thought of himself growing old with someone, it was always Brie. It was the two of them, living by the water in Vancouver, adopting some animals, having the nice peaceful life they never expected to survive long enough to have.

And to Anderson, he knew it rang true too. While the two had never mentioned it, Brie had expressed in the past her wonders if Anderson was her biological father. She knew it would never mean he and her mother were really together. Her mom was practical and logical. If she wanted a child, she'd find a way to have one. But it never mattered to Brie nor Anderson. They took care of one another just the same.

"Kaidan's right, Admiral," Anderson asserted. "We're wasting unnecessary time. Find Kaidan a good pilot, and get him on a shuttle after Shepard. We need her home."

Hackett straightened up and paused for a moment. Kaidan hoped it meant he was seeing their perspective. _He_ wanted to bring her back. Not only did he trust himself with a mission like this, he trusted himself with Shepard. He needed to know that she was going to make it. He couldn't risk them sending anyone else who could make the mistake of getting her killed in the process.

"Steve Cortez is in Vancouver working on retrofits for the Normandy. Find him a cruiser with stealth systems and get them tracking Shepard's location."

Kaidan let out a breath of relief.

"Alenko, we need her back alive. Do whatever it takes without a diplomatic incident, and keep her safe."

Kaidan nodded, and saluted. "Yes, sir."

Anderson quickly ushered him to the training rooms downstairs, and Kaidan began equipping himself to ship out. He slipped on his armor piece by piece, loaded the holsters and utility belt with medi-gel, extra thermal clips, and rations. He didn't know what kind of condition Shepard would be in when he found her. He had to be ready for anything.

Anderson rested a hand on his shoulder. "Kaidan, bring her back."

Kaidan nodded. "I will. I promise."

He narrowed his eyes. "And _you_ come back too, okay? If I know Brie, she wants you alive. If something happened to you because of her, she wouldn't be the same. She loves you so much that it's sick, even if she doesn't always know it. Don't do anything reckless."

"I'd say that hunting down Cerberus is pretty reckless in itself," he said.

"You know what I mean. If she's going to go out there and blow the Reapers to hell, she needs a backbone. And it's been you for as long as she's known you."

Kaidan swallowed. "Yes, sir."

A handsome soldier with dark skin and a layer of scruff approached Anderson and Kaidan. He saluted the both of them.

"Lieutenant Steve Cortez. Ready to ship out, Commander?"

Kaidan met his salute. "Aye, aye, sir. Let's do this."


	4. Chapter 4

_Brie kept her eyes closed, but gently touched her forehead to Kaidan's. She didn't need to open her eyes to see him. She could imagine it so perfectly. Kaidan, breathless, with a few beads of sweat rising at his smooth olive skin, eyes closed too, showing off his long and beautiful eyelashes. She could trace every line of his face by memory now. She had him memorized, from the two small birthmarks at the right side of his head, to the scar he had across the left side of his lip. He told her he got it doing something badass, like in basic training or at some point in his career. But she knew it was more likely he fell on his face as a kid, or whacked himself with an object he was trying to pull biotically._

 _She took care to notice these things and store them away in her memory. She didn't know if she'd always have the pleasure of looking at him and appreciating how beautiful he was this way. With the way they lived, with their jobs, it was entirely possible it could be gone in every tomorrow to come._

" _I can tell you're staring," he whispered._

" _Can not."_

" _Can too."_

 _She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. He slid one hand up to the back of her head, fingers weaving through her short, dark hair. Her tongue slid across his bottom lip, and he moaned softly into her mouth. He arched his back and pressed his bare body against hers. She shivered at his touch._

" _Then," she said, drawing away, "maybe you should stop being so damn gorgeous."_

 _He smiled and opened his eyes. "I will when you do."_

" _I can live with that," she replied._

 _She hoped that nights like this would never have to go away. She was prepared for future tours where she and Kaidan were serving in different places, but she wanted them to be in it for the long haul. She wanted sweet date nights, and to share a home with him, adopt several animals, and live happily ever after the way that people in love did in stories._

 _She'd never complain about the nights they had now, though. The nights where he'd come to her cabin with a bottle of wine and something he wanted to show her and talk about, sometimes a vid for them to settle down and watch together. He almost always ended up rambling about something that made him excited or geek out. He could talk tech for hours, and she loved watching him get excited and his beautiful amber eyes light up when he got heated._

 _And then it normally transitioned to moving closer, curling up in each other's arms, kissing and slowly stripping off clothes to make love to one another. It was almost always slow, kisses trailing all over each other's bodies, and hot skin pressing to hot skin._

 _But she hated the hiding. She hated that he was just someone she was having an affair with, something they could both lose their jobs for. They'd break at least a dozen regs a night, and she wanted to be able to hold his hand in public, or kiss him. She wanted to call him her boyfriend and perhaps even more one day. She wanted to tell him she loved him without being worried about who would hear._

" _Hey," he whispered. "What are you thinking about?"_

 _She shook her head. "Just you."_

" _Something's bothering you."_

 _She sighed and smiled. "No, really. I'm okay. You make me so happy."_

" _And you make me happy, baby. One day it won't be like this anymore."_

" _I hope so."_

 _He held her close and kissed the top of her head. "I promise. We can get a nice house on the beach, go for walks at sunset every night. We could bundle up on the couch and watch the snow falling outside in the winter… I want it too, baby."_

" _Okay."_

" _But until then, nothing keeps us apart," he said, "right?"_

 _She nodded. "Yeah."_

Brie didn't know where she was, but she did know her hands were restrained. She felt raw gashes at her wrists and knew she'd probably been unconsciously fighting to break free the entire time she was out.

Her nose was bleeding and her head throbbed. She could feel cold metal against her skin, and knew she was on the floor. Her throat was raw and dry, and if she tried to speak, she knew she'd be putting herself into more pain than she needed. She wiggled to sit herself up against the wall of the cell she'd been haphazardly thrown into. Her shoulders ached and she felt like she'd wrestled a Krogan.

The cell was branded with Cerberus logos and a mag locked door. Clearly, she'd just gone from one prison to another. If she needed any extra reason to return to the Alliance, at least their prisons came with hot showers and soft beds.

She heard steps echoing outside her cell and she waited to see if they were coming for her. She wondered if she was on a ship like Purgatory, or of she was going to be sold into slavery or something, or if she was just being transported to be killed. With Cerberus, anything was possible.

She heard tapping at the control panel on the door and the seals come undone. A Cerberus trooper appeared in the door frame.

"Shepard. On your feet."

Brie looked up at the guard and pulled herself to her feet. She hated herself for complying with these spineless asswipes, but she had no chance at getting herself out of this mess from the floor. Well, at least not this floor. She paused a moment before exiting the cell. She needed some way to get herself out of these cuffs.

Shepard stepped forward, seeing no way out right now. Her best bet was to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. She knew without an amp, she couldn't charge and protect herself. She'd probably shatter half her bones if she tried it now. However, a good old biotic kick could do some damage.

The trooper stopped at the entrance to an elevator at the end of the hallway full of cells. He scanned his badge and the door slid open. As he stepped inside, Shepard unloaded a kick so powerful that it knocked him against the back wall of the elevator. The trooper groaned, and Shepard stepped closer, pressing her boot to his jaw. She stomped hard and heard snapping below her feet.

Bending down, she searched for the badge that would unlock her handcuffs. Her fingers traced over the trooper's body until she felt the thin badge between her fingers. She maneuvered it until she heard a soft beep and felt her hands come loose.

She grabbed the trooper's gun and searched his armor for any rations, but found none. She tucked the gun in the back of her pants and examined the elevator console. Since she didn't know where she was, she knew it was going to be a tough bet as to where the exit would be. She pressed the button to the top floor, hoping that maybe there would be a command console there. Something so she could reach out for help or signal a rescue cruiser.

The elevator moved up, and stopped one floor before she needed it to.

"Shit," she muttered, reaching for the gun tucked into her pants.

She checked to make sure it was loaded - it was - and threw up as strong of a barrier as she could. The door slid open and two Cerberus troopers were standing on the other side. However, they weren't alone. Not really.

The blue-ish hologram of The Illusive Man stood behind them, in his usual elegant garb, watching with his inhuman cybernetic eyes, and cigarette in hand. She frowned.

"I'd put the gun down, Shepard," he said. "You know it won't end well."

Brie straightened up. "It sounds like you're afraid of what I'm capable of. Probably your most dangerous investment to date, don't you think?"

The Illusive Man paused. "We'll have to wait and see about that."

"If you weren't scared, your guards wouldn't have to be armed. I'm cornered, I'm one woman. Yet, they both have guns drawn on me."

Shepard looked to the guard to her right, and he tightened his grip on his gun. He looked to the other guard, and while he was distracted, Shepard pulled him biotically and kept her arm around his neck. He struggled to break free as the other soldier opened fire. She blocked herself with his body and used him as a shield. He gasped in pain and Shepard fired a shot at the other soldier from cover.

He took a hit to the center of the chest and collapsed. Shepard tossed the other soldier to the ground and moved to the other. She fired a shot into his head and he went down. She stepped into the room the elevator had dropped her in and toward The Illusive Man.

"Why did you drag me back here?"

He took a puff of his cigarette. "I told you. You're a soldier with a singular purpose, Shepard. And I thought that our ideals lined up somewhere along the way."

"Maybe they did at some point, but you're delusional… And seem to like putting my ass on the line under false pretenses."

"Well, Shepard, it's safe to say our intentions were clear this time."

Shepard nodded. "Damn right they are. Doesn't matter. I'm going to find some way to get the hell off this station. Maybe I'll swing by and put a bullet in you myself."

"Doubtful."

The Illusive Man's unreal eyes drifted up, and Brie knew someone was behind her. That had to be the case.

She tilted her head to the side and sighed as two more soldiers approached her from behind. She couldn't act now without one of them opening fire on her.

"Don't shoot her," The Illusive Man said. "I want her in one piece when she gets to me."

"Over my dead body," she spat back. "You'll never have me."

"I've had your dead body before, Shepard. Remember how that turned out."

Brie steadied her breathing, and didn't fight back right away when she felt the soldiers behind her grab her arms.

"Take her away. This time, let her know what happens when you cross Cerberus."

She fought, thrashing her arms and throwing a kick at one of the soldier's shins. The Illusive Man disappeared from sight. The soldiers strengthened their grip on her arms and tossed her to the ground. The force took her by surprise, and she groaned in pain. One of them unloaded a kick into her side, and she turned to protect herself. The other bent down close to her and wrapped his gloved hands around her neck and pressed down. She didn't remember anything other than seeing a fist come down.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nearing target," Cortez said from the front of the cruiser.

Kaidan strode to the bridge and looked over his shoulder. "What kind of target?"

"Looks like a medium sized carrier. Definitely Cerberus though."

"A carrier? Alright. Can we get any readings on the layout?"

Cortez shook his head. "Negative, Commander. I can drop you at the shuttle bay, but it's too hot for me to stay there. They'll shoot me down and we'll both be in trouble."

Kaidan nodded. "That's fine. We'll keep in radio contact. If I have it my way, there won't be a soldier left to shoot at us when I'm done."

Cortez turned around just slightly. "I take it the Commander means something to you."

Kaidan paused. "Yeah. I'm going to bring her home. I have to… otherwise we all die."

"Not like that…" Cortez added.

Kaidan swallowed. "How I feel doesn't matter to her, and it won't even if I succeed. I'm doing this because she doesn't deserve this and we need her."

Cortez remained silent for a moment. "Be safe out there. The Alliance can't risk losing good soldiers at a time like this."

"Thanks. I'll radio you when the station is secure and we need an evac."

The cruiser docked at the shuttle bay, and Cortez opened the door for him. Kaidan stepped out and secured his weapons as the shuttle pulled away. He didn't know how many enemies he was going to encounter here, and if he'd be able to take them all at once, but he was damn ready to try.

He ducked behind cover just in case and flipped open his omni-tool. He quickly hacked into the ship's systems, which would probably alert half the crew that there was an intruder, but it gave him full access to the ship's layout and a better idea of what he'd be facing. His screen showed him that the bracelet he'd given Shepard was somewhere on the top deck of the ship, which would require him to fight through at least two full decks before reaching her. Even then, he'd probably face the strongest resistance as he grew closer.

He took in a deep breath before sliding out from cover and moving to the elevator. The coast seemed clear from the shuttle bay but he didn't expect the same ease as he reached higher decks. Kaidan stepped toward the elevator and pressed the call button, before heading back into cover. He knew that if it was Cerberus he was dealing with - or any respectable merc group - they'd load up the elevator with soldiers, in hopes that one of them would be a good enough shot to take the enemy out. But in this case, it wasn't likely.

The elevator buzzed, and then the lights short circuited for a moment before flickering back on.

"Alright," Kaidan muttered, "no elevator."

He stepped toward the service stairs door and tapped the console. He used his hacking module to take out the door security and stepped inside the stairwell. It was dark, and he suspected Cerberus had switched to low-lighting to slow down whoever was trying to break in. Clearly, they weren't expecting their intruder to glow in the dark.

Kaidan threw up a barrier and moved up the stairs. The sensors on his omni-tool registered two enemies at the top of the stairs. As quietly as he could, he moved up the stairs, Mattock raised to fire. He yanked a single Lift Grenade from his belt and waited for the right moment to throw it. The soldiers were standing on a platform above him, and they weren't going to notice from this angle. He paused a moment, looking up at the platform.

He could plant the grenade just below them, and they'd never see him coming. It was safer than just tossing it and risking not hitting either of them. Kaidan flicked off his barrier and pressed his back to the side of the stairwell. He pulled the clip out with his teeth and lodged it just below the platform. He dropped to the ground and raised his barrier once again, and the grenade exploded, sending both troopers into the air. Kaidan pulled himself up the rest of the stairs, firing two shots, one for each of the troopers, square at the center of their heads.

Peering around the corner, he saw that there were at least five soldiers with guns aimed at him. He peeked out from cover and started firing. Two of them went down, not dead yet. He threw a Reave at two soldiers standing close by, and the two of them collapsed until their lifesigns dwindled. Kaidan rolled himself into the room and threw the remaining soldier to his right into the wall, so hard he knew that it snapped his neck. The two suffering soldiers on the ground fired rapidly at him, and his shields began to fail. He pulled himself into cover and waited for them to build back up before diving out again.

The one soldier had managed to get to his feet again. Kaidan deployed a Cryo Blast at him, and fired a single bullet to the chest, and he shattered. The trooper on the ground next to him feebly tried to fire, but died before he could pull the trigger. Kaidan quickly raided all of them for extra thermal clips and packs of medi-gel before heading to the door.

Again, he bypassed the lock and moved forward to the next set of stairs at the other end of the hallway. This one was lined with cells, and he had to believe Brie had been in here at some point. He carefully peered into each one, making sure that Shepard wasn't in any of them. One cell was open, and it looked like someone had been in there recently. His eyes drew up and he saw a dead trooper at the end of the hall.

He stepped into the open cell, and examined the scene. There was blood on the ground, and he took a swipe of it with his glove. It was fresh, still wet. He didn't have much time to investigate when he heard a gun prepared to fire behind im.

"Hands where I can see them!" the trooper shouted.

Kaidan flared his biotics at his fingertips and turned, throwing a powerful biotic field at him. The soldier hit the wall and groaned, but didn't die. Instead, he opened fire. Kaidan held up his barrier as best as he could, but several bullets slipped through the weak spots and one lodged itself in the first layer of his armor. Kaidan overloaded his own shields, giving himself some space. He pulled his assault rifle to fire, but the trooper threw a single punch. The steel gloves of the trooper's armor knocked Kaidan to the ground, and he saw stars for a moment. His jaw ached and he knew his lip was bleeding. He inched away on the ground until he could catch his breath. The soldier moved closer and fired.

Kaidan's barrier was weak, but it was enough to stop whatever was going to come out of the gun. The pistol jammed, and the trooper moved forward, pressing a boot to Kaidan's chest and swinging the pistol as hard as he could at the side of his head. He felt a gash open up on the left side of his head, and his vision go dark for several seconds, and he felt sick to his stomach. Blood matted his dark curls and he took in a deep breath. He reached for his pistol as fast as he could and unloaded several bullets into the distracted trooper.

He went down, and Kaidan took a moment or two to regain his stamina and will to fight back. Brie was somewhere on this ship, and he had to fight hard enough to find her. He had to. He couldn't die yet.

He rolled over onto his side, and pulled himself to his feet. His head throbbed, but the shock of the blow was fading. He gripped the cell beside him until he felt steady enough on his feet again. It took another moment, but he moved forward to the elevator. Medi-gel coursed through his body to stem the bleeding at his head, and numbed the pain just enough to keep him going.

There was a set of handcuffs beside the dead trooper, and he had to assume this was Brie's work. He couldn't have been too far now. He reached the stairs beside the elevator and took them up a floor. He didn't register any enemies in the stairwell, but there would definitely be an absurd amount upstairs. The door to the central deck didn't have a lock activated, so he stepped in. He overheard troopers discussing something, and ducked into the room behind cover.

"Shepard's starting to wake up again."

At the sound of her name, Kaidan popped out of cover and waited for his chance to shoot.

"Good, knock her-," the other started. Kaidan fired a bullet to the back of his head, and when the other reacted, he got the same treatment. Both fell, gagging a bit before dying, and Kaidan moved forward to loot their utility belts.

The room he was standing in was littered with bodies. There were two right beside the elevator, and one closer to a platform at the center. He heard shuffling coming from the bordering hallways and there was no cover in sight. He shut his eyes and thought for a moment. He didn't necessarily need guns. With his biotics, he could do enough damage. His shields were back at full strength, and all he'd need was the right opportunity.

"On the ground! Drop your weapons!" a trooper shouted, entering the room.

Kaidan placed his assault rifle and pistol on the ground in front of him and bent to his knees. He held his hands above his head, as more surrounded him. The one who spoke moved closest and pressed his pistol to his temple. Kaidan shivered, feeling the cold steel press to the open wound in his head. He felt more blood drip down the side of his face.

"He's Alliance."

"Might be useful," one of them said. "Think we should turn him over to the boss?"

"No," another replied. "I think we better just kill him."

Kaidan took in a deep breath and blasted his shields, knocking all the troopers back. He reached for his weapons and rolled himself out of the way. His barrier came up and he loaded his guns, and threw the soldiers away from him as best as he could. His head throbbed and he could sense the starting pricks of a migraine at the back of his head.

Moving out of cover, he aimed his rifle and fired, taking down several soldiers. He wasn't sure if they were dead, but he was sure he would keep firing anyway. While he was focused elsewhere, one of the troopers tossed a flash grenade his direction. It wasn't until it nearly blasted that Kaidan noticed, and had hardly any time to get to safety.

He covered his head with his arms, and tilted his face away from the blast. The grenade packed a punch, bursting open with a small explosion. Kaidan felt the worst of it in his right leg, a quick searing pain that lobbed off a solid chunk of his protective plating. He picked his head up and looked down at the damage.

His armor had blasted off and burned through some of his undersuit, leaving a burning gash on the outside of his left leg, and the makings of an intense burn up his side. He knew without the pieces of his armor, he wouldn't be able to apply medi-gel, so his best bet was to suck it up and hurry the hell up with finding Shepard.

He picked himself up off the ground and reached a shaking hand to his assault rifle. As he peered out of cover, he saw more soldiers. They should have been dead, but he saw more, and more coming his way.

He ducked himself back into cover, head throbbing and knowing he'd have a very hard time fighting them all off with his biotics. He'd need to find some emergency thermal clips soon, but his safest bet was sticking to cover and not taking any unnecessary risks.

He looked out from cover and saw more guards than he could fight off on his own.

"Surrender your weapons, or we open fire!"


	6. Chapter 6

Brie came to, not sure how long after, and looked around. She was in the same room as before, except this time, cuffed. She knew she was too weak to really fight back, or break her restraints herself. She could hardly even use her biotics. Cerberus could have easily just thrown her into another cell, but instead, they left her here to feel helpless.

She felt blood dripping from her nose, and that her head had been gashed open. She wondered if she had any broken bones. By the feel of it, she had some at least bruised ribs, and breathing hurt worse than she cared to admit.

She heard movement, and the floor shifting as it had before. She prayed that it wasn't more soldiers. The best she could do now was to just put up with it. She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath, bracing for the impact of a hit. It was only a matter of time.

Shepard turned over onto her back and positioned herself to the source of movement. There, she spotted another soldier coming for her. She shut her eyes and waited for one of them to finally finish her off.

"On your feet, Shepard," he ordered.

 _I can't_.

Brie tensed up as she felt a boot jam into her side.

"Get _up_!" the soldier snapped.

She heard movement again, this time, the whirring of the platform on the other side of the room. She rolled over, trying to cover her head as best as she could. It would be a lot easier if she had her hands free. She knew that more soldiers were probably on their way. She heard the soldier pull out his gun and load it to fire. And when she heard a shot, she was shocked that she wasn't any more hurt than she was before.

The soldier grunted and collapsed behind her. She turned, pretending the pain wasn't there and tried to sit herself up.

"Brie."

Part of her hated herself for imagining _him_ in the middle of this complete disaster. She knew why too. She'd done her best to bury the feelings she had, and pretend that she didn't care for him anymore. But she knew that when the worst moments of her life happened to appear, he was the one she longed for.

She opened her eyes slowly. Kaidan was _here_. Wherever that was. His dark curly hair was matted with blood and a cut had opened on his eyebrow. She could see bits of his armor blown off, and raw skin burned and bleeding. He gripped at his side, and she could see blood staining his armored hand. He looked like he'd gone through hell to get here. To get to her.

"Kaidan. You're-," she began, and her eyes welled with tears.

He pulled himself forward, limping and relying heavily on his right leg to carry him. She could tell the raw pain of his injuries in all of his actions. Kaidan eased himself to the ground and winced in pain.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, surveying her body.

 _Are you?_ she thought.

"Nothing I can't survive," she said.

"Okay."

"Are you okay?" she asked. "It looks bad."

He helped her off the ground and started to hack her handcuffs. "I know. We have to move. There will be time to talk later."

Her hands came free, and he quickly slid his arm around her back to help her walk, even though all she wanted to do was hug him and never let go. Kaidan helped her toward the platform, even though walking wasn't easy for him either. He let out pained sighs with each step and without him realizing, she shifted to help him instead of herself.

Behind them, something moved.

Kaidan turned around, but Brie already knew it was the same trooper from before. Not dead yet. Kaidan let go of her, and she could see the swell of biotics at his fingertips. The soldier climbed to his feet and raised his gun. Kaidan threw up a barrier. It was weak and Shepard could see the vulnerable spots in it, and just hoped that the Cerberus trooper wasn't smart enough to.

She could feel her blood rushing in her ears, and was so focused on thinking of a plan to get them out of here that she hardly noticed another soldier come from behind and grab her arms. She let out a quick cry of surprise, and Kaidan's attention turned to her and his barrier fell.

"Brie!"

He fired his pistol at the soldier holding her, but missed, because the first soldier fired too, and he didn't miss. Kaidan's body jarred, and he fell to his knees. The soldier holding Brie dragged her away from him, and pulled a gun to her head, even as she fought to break away. She must have cried out, or done something. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she tugged and pulled however she could.

She watched as the first soldier stepped closer to Kaidan and kicked him onto his back. "We figured the Alliance would send someone after her. We didn't expect you to be so hard to kill."

Kaidan gripped his side tightly, and she could tell how bad it hurt. Blood pooled at his undersuit, and he curled into himself, and whimpered in pain.

"Please," she cried, "don't hurt him."

Kaidan breathed heavily, and closed his eyes. The soldier circled around him. Shepard watched, trying to figure out if Kaidan had a plan. If he didn't, she needed one. She would not let him die this way. Not after everything he'd gone through for her.

The soldier smirked, swinging his pistol at the side of Kaidan's head. He gasped in pain and turned away, covering his head with one blood-stained hand.

"Please," she begged again, "please don't hurt him. Let him go."

"Why? It's almost as if you care what happens to him," the soldier taunted.

Brie didn't answer, but more tears streamed down her face and she choked on a painful sob. At her silence, the soldier aimed his gun, and kneeled down, pressing the barrel to the back of Kaidan's head.

"No!" she screamed. "Please, let him live. Don't do this."

"Kill her," the other soldier said.

She braced herself for it, not knowing how it would go down. She felt the gun at the side of her head shift, and a brief charge load. As if in slow motion, she saw Kaidan release a cryo blast, and a sharp chill shoot up against her body. She spun and threw an elbow jab at the solider, who shattered.

The soldier near Kaidan let out a primal scream, and raised his gun to fire at Kaidan again. His gun jammed the first time, but she could see by the thermal clip inside that it wouldn't happen again. Brie clutched the gun from the other soldier, and took in a deep breath. She unloaded a bullet, and watched the soldier's head jerk, and collapse to the ground.

She sighed, hands shaking, and cheeks still stained with tears. Her body ached, but she dragged herself closer to Kaidan. She slid a hand to the back of his head and pressed her other on top of the bullet wound. Her eyes spilled with tears again, and she let out a single sob.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "For everything."

He swallowed his tears and nodded. "It's okay."

"Just don't die on me, okay? Please, hang on. You aren't allowed to die like this."

She helped him sit up, and he cried out in pain. She wrapped her arms against him, giving him a moment to recover from the shock of his injuries. One hand cradled the back of his head, and she let out another wave of tears.

"Let's go home," he whispered into her hair, holding her tight.


	7. Chapter 7

Shepard sat beside his bed in Huerta Memorial, and wished he'd just wake up already. The doctors had said he'd pull through, but she wanted proof herself. The door opened, and Anderson stepped inside.

Brie stood up, taking her time. The doctors said that her injuries weren't as bad as they should have been, and that her Cerberus cybernetics probably saved her life. Aside from a few cuts that needed medi-gel and stitching, the worst was dehydration. Her bruised ribs would heal quickly, and she'd only be left with scars.

"Even locked up, we can't seem to keep you in one place," Anderson said.

Her eyes filled with tears and she stepped into his arms. He held her tight, minding the IV in her arm. He kissed the side of her head and tightened his grip.

"Your mom's on her way," he said.

Brie nodded. "Okay. Thank you for rescuing me."

Anderson stepped away, and his eyes drifted over to Kaidan. "Don't thank me. It was Kaidan's plan, almost every last detail."

She swallowed. "It was?"

"All him. He was the one who took precautions, and when something went wrong, he insisted that _he_ go. He didn't trust anyone else with the job of bringing you home unharmed."

Her eyes watered again. "Oh."

"He loves you, and he'd do anything to keep you safe."

"I know that now," she whispered.

Kaidan shifted on the bed behind them. Anderson let go of her and nudged her toward him. "I'll give you two a moment."

Brie turned around and took her seat beside Kaidan. He winced in pain, and she reached out to grab his hand. His skin was pale and lips slightly blue. The doctors had stitched up his head, and said he'd have some scarring there around his eye, but it wouldn't be too noticeable once it healed. Medi-gel had taken care of most of the burns on his side and on his leg, and once they'd stemmed the bleeding, they removed the bullet and bandaged him up.

His eyes opened, just enough to survey the situation. He passed out almost instantly upon getting him to the shuttle, and she'd used what little field medic skills she had to stabilize him until they could reach a hospital.

"Hey," he said, voice quiet.

"Hey," she replied. "How do you feel?"

He swallowed and shifted on the bed. "Like I've been hit by a truck. How are you?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay. Just being pumped with fluids so I don't pass out, living off hospital food for now."

He broke a weak smile. "You'll be spending way less time here than me, so don't complain yet."

Brie sat closer, on the edge of his bed and brushed her thumb against the back of his hand. "You passed out before I got to thank you."

"My bad," he mumbled.

She smiled. "I mean it. You almost died, and it was all to save me. And here I was thinking that you didn't care…"

He opened his eyes a little more. "Of course I do. I always have, Brie."

She swallowed. "I-."

"And what happened on Horizon was a mistake. Neither of us acted like the people I know we are. But it's the past if we let it be."

She'd spent so many nights in a cold, hard bed on a ship that hardly belonged to her, wishing he were just there to kiss her and tell her that everything would be alright. It had gotten her through their fight against Saren, and through losing Ash. Kaidan was always enough. But in his absence, she'd failed to look at the bigger picture. She knew what Cerberus was capable of, but to hurt her this way. To hurt _him_ this way. Maybe he'd been right after all.

"I can leave it behind," she said, her eyes watering. "I've missed you."

His expression softened, sympathetic. "I've missed you too."

"So much. I… I didn't want the next time I saw you to be like this. I spent all those months trapped with Cerberus, hoping that when I finally found you, it would stop being so scary, that I'd be free. I hoped you would fix it, like you always do. And we fucked up, and now I almost lost you."

Kaidan squeezed her hand and made her look up. He raised his other hand as much as he could and wiped away her tears.

"You didn't lose me. I'm right here."

She nodded. "Okay."

"We're okay. We are."

"I'm glad."

She leaned forward, and hesitated a moment. She breathed him in, and closed her eyes, before pressing her lips against his. He cupped her face, and parted his lips. Brie weaved her fingers in his dark curls and ran her tongue along his bottom lip. He moaned into her mouth, pleading for more of her.

The monitor next to his bed blipped faster, and she pulled away, smirking. He laughed under his breath.

"Shit," he whispered. "We're going to make the nurses nervous."

She smiled and kissed his nose. "Yeah."

"It's okay. Until they come in to yell at us, I think we're okay."

She pulled away and cupped his cheek. "You and me, we're kind of bulletproof, you know?"

Kaidan raised an eyebrow, and his hand settled on his side over the bullet wound. "Uh, not quite."

Brie smiled back and kissed his forehead. "No, I mean _us_. As separate entities, not so much."

"We've been through hell together, Brie, but all the bad has just been cannon fodder. It's not what defines me and you."

Brie clutched his hand tightly and nodded. "No. But all that you did to save me does."

"And I'd do it over and over again," he said.

Shepard pulled him in for another kiss. She didn't see a need to pull away any time soon.


End file.
